


In Over His Head

by itsamystery



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Injured Chat, also, and one accidental kiss, there are cute fluffy kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-09 15:51:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5545865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsamystery/pseuds/itsamystery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chat gets in a little over his head one night. With few places he could go for help, he decides to pay his princess a visit. She could help him, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Who can help

            Akuma were frequent during the day, and their activity was almost nonexistent during the hours of the night, but being a creature of the night, Chat Noir found himself leaping over the rooftops in the dark every chance he could get. He always felt at home roaming the streets of Paris rather than in his empty house. If he had to make the choice of being alone in his house and being alone roaming the city, he would definitely choose the latter. With a promise of camembert, Plagg would allow a couple of hours of freedom for Adrien.

            But it’s not just freedom he was after while escaping the eyes of his unknowing father and his assistant. His job as Chat Noir is to defeat the evil that shows itself in the city, Akuma and other alike. And while the Akuma are away, the other evils will play, and it was his duty to stop it.

            Perched on a roof’s edge, his eyes and ears were trained in the dark, watching and listening for any sign of trouble. The sounds of the city were flooding into his ears: cars rushing by on the streets, people chatting and turning in for the night, the barking of dogs in their homes, an aggressive voice and shuffling and a knife’s steel against stone- Chat turned his head to that last sound, using his enhanced hearing to pinpoint the sounds’ location.

            Four blocks. A dark alley between two jewelry shops. A woman’s crying and a demanding voice. Chat was leaping off the roof and sprinting over to the alley in a matter of seconds. He knew once he got there, there wouldn’t be much time before the man would be running. He had to act fast.

            At the top of the roof above the alley, he could see a large, hooded man wielding a just-as-large knife, cornering a woman against the building side, a bag held between them. Dropping down, Chat landed lightly on his feet further into the alley, his dark suit keeping him hidden in the shadows while the man grabbed the bag and turned in Chat’s direction.

            “You know that phrase ‘while the cat’s away, the mice will play’? Well sometimes the cat comes back earlier than planned.” His staff stretched out at his side and he stepped out of the shadows. The hooded man stood frozen in his spot. No doubt he didn’t plan on having _the Chat Noir,_ hero of Paris, ruin his night. His hesitation was for only a moment before he moved his knife in between him and Chat.

            “You know,” Chat held his staff at the ready. “When bad guys come face to face with me they usually take the easy route and drop what they were doing and take off. Looks like you chose the hard way.” A smile and a ‘come-at-me’ finger motion from Chat triggered the man to rush at him with the knife.

            It was all Chat could do to stay away from the slashing of the blade. Usually he could take down a man twice his size in just a couple moves, but with how narrow the alley was and how the thief moved and fought like he knew what he was doing, Chat was having a difficult time.

            The thief was forcing him back, and Chat was too focused on avoiding the knife when his shoulder clipped the electrical box of the building.

“Ahh,-” The distraction was all that was needed to give the thief an opening. The knife thrust forward, grazing against Chat’s forearm.

            Chat was taken back, watching as a drop of blood dripped from the blade. _Had he… had he just been_ stabbed? Even the thief seemed a bit taken back, but that surprise faded as he realized he had just _cut Chat Noir._ Maybe the famed hero was less untouchable as he seemed, and more human because he can _bleed,_ and the proof glistened on the blade and flowed down the hero’s arm.

            A confidence now shone in the thief’s eyes, and he lunged again at Chat. The thief moved with a new vigor which hadn’t been there before, and Chat knew that he was in for trouble.

            Swings were dealt from both sides. A knife cut here, an unsuccessful disabling attack with a staff there. This cycle repeated again and again. _This guy fights just as well, if not better, than my fencing instructor. He has some kind of training._ _If I’m going to beat this guy, I have to really gamble this next move._

            Chat pulled his staff close to his body, lunging forward without restraint. The thief thrust his knife forward, the edge gliding across the flesh of his cheekbone, but before the knife could be swung again, the staff’s end had met its mark. The sound of ribs cracking was prominent in Chat’s ears, and the thief fell to his knees. A quick blow to the head knocked the man down unconscious.

            Chat stood victorious over the man, sweat and blood mixing on his suit and on the ground. The thief wouldn’t be up for a good while. Long enough to give the police some time to get him.

            Stepping over the man, Chat picked up the handbag that was dropped and approached the woman who had backed away to the end of the alley, staying in the safety of the light of the streetlamps.

            “Call the police. They’ll be here soon to pick up the garbage.” He placed her bag into her hands. “I hope you have a good night, miss. Be safe walking back home.” With a two finger salute, he extended his baton and flew up to the roof of the building behind him.

            His hands were slick with his blood, and he slipped off his baton at the last minute, stumbling onto the rough tar. Not the most graceful moment of his life, and generally he was pretty graceful, minus that time with Stormy Weather flinging him across town, and the whole Mr. Pigeon incident, and with Mr. Mime’s disappearing jail… but that’s beside the point. He was bleeding, and with his adrenaline levels dropping, the pain was starting to set in with a vengeance. He probably pushed it too far this time. He needed help, but he didn’t know where to go. He couldn’t go home, he couldn’t risk Natalie finding him and telling his father. He couldn’t go to the hospital, they would ask too many questions, and that would also end with his father finding out.

            Leaning against the column of a chimney he weighed his options. He was still losing blood, the gash on his chest the main offender for that.

            _If only my Lady were here. She would know what to do… Wait!_ He pushed off the wall and staggered over to the edge of the roof. He could just barely see the building in the distance from his position. It was close enough. It would have to do.

            _She’s not my Lady, but maybe Princess can help._

_I’ll be safe with Marinette._


	2. Surprise Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette couldn't have picked a worse time to ask for a drink.

“Mom? Can you make me some hot chocolate?” Marinette called from the stairs to her mother.

            “Sure, sweetie. Do you want marshmallows?”

            “Yes, please. Thank you!” Marinette took the stairs two at a time to her room. She had a lot of work to get done: both homework and sewing project alike. Priorities first: she picked up her fabric and pins and went to work on the floor. She had a new jacket idea that she couldn’t get out of her mind, and she wanted to see if she could finish it that night before going out the next day with Alya. Homework could wait till Sunday to be done. It was Friday and Marinette could take a little free time for herself.

            She coined with the idea of a cropped jacket all through history after Alya talked about ‘how adorable this one crop top was’. Well, now she knows what to gift Alya with, but she needed more information about the top Alya was talking about before starting on her gift, hence them going out tomorrow.

            She had just started pinning the sleeve when a thud sounded on the balcony above. She looked towards the direction, but since it didn’t happen again, she shrugged and continued to work. It was probably one of the stray cats that were around, she saw them frequently enough.

            But the next sound she heard was definitely not from a _cat_ cat, but it was close enough. “Good evening, Princess.”

            She jerked her head to the voice fast enough to pull a muscle in her neck. Glowing green eyes peered down into her room from the dark beyond the open glass hatch of the balcony.

            “Chat Noir?” Dropping the fabric and pins, she scrambled up the ladder to her loft and peered up into the dark. She could just barely see the grin on his face.

            “Your knight is here, yes.” She felt something drop onto her face, her finger lifted to her check to wipe it away. “Is he in the best condition? Not really.” Pulling back her finger she examined it. _Blood._ Looking closer, she noticed there was a cut along his cheek, just below the mask, and the tone of his voice suggested that it wasn’t the only one.

            “Oh my god, Chat, are you okay?” She reached up to take his hand and help him down. Holding onto him was tricky, his hand was sticky and slick, but she managed to ease him down onto the bed. As he was brought into the light, she had to contain a gasp as all the wounds came into view. There were cuts and gashes all up and down his arms, one looked particularly bad on his shoulder. There were a couple on his chest and one on his abdomen. The worst cut by far had to be the one above his heart: a slash from the shoulder to the sternum.

            She couldn’t help but run her hands over the wounds. Her hands traveled from his own and up his forearm, tracing the cuts up his bicep to his collarbone. She was acutely aware of his eyes on hers, but she kept her own focused on the wounds.

            He winced and hissed as her prodding fingertip pressed too roughly against a cut. “Sorry.” Pulling away, she looked up at him. His huge green eyes were still trained on hers. She never really had a chance to get a good look at them before, not even as Ladybug, but now she was staring right into them, and she never noticed just how _green_ and cat-like they really were.

            _Okay, this is a little weird._ Marinette pulled away and turned towards the ladder. “You need to get patched up.” Waving her hand in an order for him to follow, she made her way back down the ladder to the floor. “Sit on the chair, I’ll get the first aid kit.”

            Chat nodded gratefully and collapsed in her chair with a sigh while Marinette dove into her desk drawers for the first aid kit. Bringing out the box, she opened it up and assessed the contents. Bandaids, bandage wraps, antiseptic ointment, pain medication. It would have to do. Kit in hand she turned back to Chat, who was looking at some designs she had left on the desk.

            “It looks like you really like fashion and designing.” He used a claw to move aside a design to reveal sketches of a sundress. “How long have you been interested in it?” He swiveled to face her as she set down the supplies on the desk top.

            “For most of my life. I’ve been designing since I was little, but of course being a child, most of what I drew back then was… unique. I only started to actually make things a few years back.” She picked up the fabric she had left on the floor and placed it on the far end of the desk. “Now stay there. I’ll be right back.”

            Marinette needed to get something to wash off the dried blood and clean the cuts with. She would just have to make a quick run downstairs and… _Wait…_

            As Marinette’s hand reached for the door, she froze at the sound of her mother’s footsteps on the stairs.

            “Chat, hide! Now!” She hissed, her mother only a few stairs away from her door. Taking a few breaths, Marinette calmed herself and waited for her mother’s knock.

            It wasn’t long, and Marinette gave herself a few seconds before opening the door, the smell of hot chocolate wafting in.

            “Here you go.” Her mother held out the cup from her position on the stairs.

            “Thanks, mom.” Giving her best smile, Marinette took the cup from her and was ready to close the door.

            “Were you talking to Alya earlier?”

            Marinette’s smile strained. “Uhh, yeah. I was telling her about this idea I had earlier today.”

            “Oh!” Her mother grinned mischievously. “Was it about your plans on living in a gingerbread house when you’re older?”

            “Mom! No! I was talking about my new design idea!”

            “Well, you should also tell her about your living plans too.” Her mother’s grin didn’t leave her face as she walked back down the stairs. “I’m sure she’d love to visit you.”

            “Well, living in a gingerbread house is impractical.” She closed the door, but she had to add something. Opening it back up a crack she called out, “And fattening!”

_For emphasis._

            Satisfied, she closed the door and turned back to the room. The leather clad cat-boy was nowhere in sight.

            “Gingerbread house?”

            Marinette for the second time that night strained a neck muscle turning to his voice. His head was peeking out from the far side of her chaise, his chin resting on the cushion, a Cheshire grin spread across his face.

            “Another word about that, Chat Noir, and I won’t hesitate to throw you out. And stop startling me like that, you’re gonna give me whiplash.” Marinette walked over and placed the mug of hot chocolate on the desk.

            For a third time, she opened her trapdoor and descended down her stairs. Marinette paused halfway down, scanning the kitchen and living room for her mother, but she was nowhere to be seen. _She probably went to bed already._

She tiptoed to the bathroom and opened the cupboard. _Good thing we have dark towels, too._ Grabbing a small, dark blue towel, she ran it under the sink. Standing there wringing out the towel, she stared into the running water. _It would just be easier for both of us if I fixed him up in here. Easier to clean, faster to get done._ Dropping the damp towel into the full sink, she ran back up to her room.

            She found Chat seated with his feet crossed on the chair, eyes roaming the room, the screensaver on her screen was gone.

            “Nice background. Who’s the blonde?” Chat chuckled while Marinette was even less amused. Her face flushed, and she jogged over to her screen and turned it off.

            “A- a model. Surprised you haven’t heard of him.” She picked up the kit and mug of hot chocolate. “We’re going to move to the bathroom. It’s just gonna be easier that way.”

            “Alright, Purr-incess.” He purred and stood up, following her to the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if you felt deja vu while reading this, it's probably because the 'gingerbread' house scene was inspired by the 'chocolate' house scene from The Amazing Spiderman. I'm finding /way/ too many similarities between Peter/Spiderman and Adrien/Chat


	3. Someone Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat is definitely more than what he seems.

            “I can’t believe you can make puns in your condition.” Marinette checked the stairs, making sure her mother hadn’t come out for a quick drink of water before she motioned to Chat behind her to quickly follow her down. She sprinted across the floor to the bathroom, Chat close on her heels.

            Shutting and locking the door, she relaxed, and she turned back to the hero. There was something strange about seeing the famed, yet battered, hero standing in her ho-hum bathroom. Either he was out of place, or the whole bathroom was, and it was definitely the latter.

            “Ok, sit down on the counter.” She weaved around him to the sink, grabbing the towel from the water.

            “As you wish.” He settled on the counter, watching her hands as she wringed out excess water.

            “Can you roll up your sleeves or something? I have to get to those cuts.”

            “I have an easier idea.” His hands went up to the bell on his collar, the soft tinkling of the bell filled the silence as he pulled it down. _So the bell_ is _the zipper… Interesting._

            He pulled the zipper-bell down and shrugged the leather suit off his shoulders and down his arms. It wasn’t until she took a shuddering breath that she realized she hadn’t been breathing, and when she did breathe it felt like she inhaled all the air in the room. She knew her cheeks were going to be flushed in a second, judging by the burning sensation she felt crawling up her neck. This whole scenario was… _strange_ and _intimate_ , and it made her… not quite uncomfortable, per say, but definitely out-of-place.

            She shook herself out of space and came back to attention to the task at hand: fixing up Chat.

            He finished shrugging off his costume and held his hand out to her. “Your knight is ready to be fixed up by his princess.” He winked, but she dutifully ignored him as her attention was focused on the damage. It looked less worse than it did when his suit was on because now all the blood soaked fabric was off. However, his skin was still stained with blood and the cuts and gashes were now laid bare. The jostling with his suit had opened up the wounds, fresh blood started to bead on his skin.

Before she set to work, she grabbed the mug on the counter and pressed it into his other hand.

“Drink this, you need it more than I do.”

“To think my princess is giving me her drink. Thank you.” He pressed the mug against his lips as she took the wet towel and pressed it against a cut on his forearm.

            As she cleaned his skin, she carefully checked each wound for debris and severity. She couldn’t have Chat get some kind of infection, especially since she had no idea where he’d been and how he got these. _Speaking of which._

“So, how’d a hero like you get so cut up anyway?” She rinsed the towel as he perked up to the break in the silence.

            “Well, you know. Doing my hero duty can get pretty rough sometimes. This time in particular was a surprise. Getting into a knife fight with a petty thief isn’t the best way to spend my night, but if that’s what it takes to protect the innocent, then so be it.” He shrugged and the towel returned to his skin.

            “Why didn’t Ladybug help? Don’t you two usually do those things together?” She glanced at his face while she dabbed at a gash on his bicep. He seemed forlorn, staring into some space between her hand and the tile on the floor. He was quiet, and just when she thought he wouldn’t answer, he spoke.

            “She wasn’t there. She doesn’t usually come out unless there’s an Akuma, because she’s the only one who can purify the butterflies. But, Akuma aren’t the only kind of evil out on the prowl, so I make sure that those evils are kept under a careful watch. If I don’t then there would be innocent people harmed by those who c _hoose_ to commit evil, rather than by those who are forced to.”

            Marinette could only gaze at him. A sad crooked smile graced his face, and his eyes flickered to hers. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She was honestly stunned at the fact that he was so diligent in protecting the city. His intentions were so pure, to protect the citizens not only against the Akuma with her, but also to protect them against ordinary criminals. She personally had never thought about that herself, that there is still evil lurking out there that isn’t related to the Akuma. And he was doing this on a regular basis as it sounded like, on his own. He was more of a hero than she was.

            “Oh? Did you fall for me, Princess?” Chat leaned towards her, his chin resting between his thumb and pointer finger.

            Marinette leaned away, embarrassed at the fact she had been doing nothing but stare at him for several moments. “No way.” She pressed a little too hard on the gash on his shoulder. He hissed in pain, and she muttered an apology.

            “I’m surprised you’re taking this so well. Do other heroes visit you frequently in need of medical assistance?”

            She smiled at that. “If by frequently you mean only this once? Then yes. Exclusively by this one flirtatious stray who apparently gets into knife fights nightly.”

            “I’m hurt, Princess. I’m not as much as a flirt as you think I am. And I don’t get into them nightly. Maybe once a month. Most of the time the bad guy drops whatever they’re doing at the sight of me. It’s usually a lot easier than tonight was.”

            She prodded the long gash over his heart with butterfly-light touches of her fingertips. “So you say you’re not as much of a flirt as I think you are, but on the LadyBlog there’s video evidence of you constantly flirting with Ladybug, and either I’m reading this wrong or you’ve been flirting with me as well.” She dabbed the towel on the gash under her fingers, doing her best to be as gentle as possible. She was so focused on not hurting him she almost didn’t hear what he said next.

            “That’s because you’re special to me.”

            She froze. Her eyes flickered up to his. He was staring straight at her, his pupils dilated and unwavering. “I mean, why else would I come here at my weakest? We’ve worked together in the past against your Akumatized friend, and you trusted me. I know that I can trust you.”

            She moved her hand away from the gash on his chest and put the towel in the sink.

            “But that was one time. How do you know I won’t betray you now?” His gloved hand was placed on her shoulder.

            “I would like to tell you, but that would be a major spoiler right there, wouldn’t it?”

            She remained silent. _How much about her did he know? Did she know his civilian self? Did he know her?_

            “So, what are we? Trust buddies? Don’t tell me I have to swear some kind of trust-blood oath or something.” She wringed out the towel again and went back to work on the next, less wounded arm.

            Chat chuckled. “Isn’t that what people call ‘friends’?”

            “Right.” Marinette quietly laughed at this realization. “ _Friends_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as you guys probably noticed, the chapters are fairly short. That's because I'm mainly putting all my energy into writing an Aladdin!AU fic. (which was inspired by a post I found while scrolling through tumblr, and I would credit OP if only I thought ahead and made a note of who posted it but being me I didn't do that. If you guys know who it is can you let me know? I'd love to let them know! Thanks!) I'm foreseeing it to be a much longer fic, so I plan on writing about half of it before I start posting chapters, and right now it's on about 25000 words :,) . If you guys have anything you want to see in it, I can attempt to put it in! I love to write off of suggestions and brainstorming from collective thoughts. Also mention if you wish to be credited if the idea makes it in, so I know who to give proper dues to!


	4. Accidents Happen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette realizes she's more in over her own head than she realized.

           His arms and torso were cleaned of all the old blood, fresh liquid already filling the cuts. Those wounds needed to get covered and bandaged up.

           “Most of these are going to need butterfly bandages. The big ones however, those probably need stitches.” She set to work on quickly pressing ointment on the cuts.

           “Perfect. I knew I could count on you. Is there anything I can use to bite down on? I don’t want to alert your parents.”

           “My parents are probably already asleep by now. They have to wake up early… wait, why do you need something to bite on?” She set down the ointment and opened a butterfly bandage up.

           “Cause while you’re stitching I need something to distract me.”

           She had just placed the bandage to set a cut on his wrist when she looked up in a panic. “Me? Stitching? No way!”

           “Why not?”

           “I’m not qualified to do that!”

           “You sew as a hobby. Stitching skin isn’t so different than stitching fabric.”

           “It’s completely different! Stitches used on fabrics are completely different than stitches used on living things!” His hand settled on top of hers after she set another wound on his arm. She hadn’t realized she was shaking until his hand stopped it.

           “Marinette.” She looked up. His eyes and voice were desperate. “Please. I don’t have anyone else who could help. I would be forever grateful if you could do it. I trust you.”

           She should say no. She wanted to say no. She didn’t want to hurt him any more than he already was. She wasn’t qualified at all to do it, either. She did have experience with a needle and could work miracles on torn clothing, but _human skin_?

           But she couldn’t say no.

           Besides, out of most people, maybe her experience with fabrics could actually be better for him than someone else stitching him up. If she could make a tear in fabrics disappear, then maybe she could stitch him up just as well.

           She sighed. “Alright. Fine. But while I go get the needle and thread, you should put butterfly bandages on the smaller cuts.”

          “As my princess commands.”

          She unlocked the door and quickly checked the area. Darting out of the bathroom she ran up the stairs and flew into her room. _Needles and thread. Needles and thread._ She threw open her sewing box and checked all the needles. _Needles for stitching skin are curved, right? How thin are they? They would have to be thick enough not to bend or break…_

          “Chat looked pretty beat up.” Tikki’s small form floated up to Marinette. The kwami watched worriedly on as the girl dug through her supply box.

          “He is, but he’ll be fine. He just needs some stitches.” Marinette turned from the box to her kwami. “Can a kwami’s power heal its users?” She held her hand out and Tikki settled in her palm.

          “We can fix the suit in the next transformation, but we can’t heal our user’s bodies. Your bodies are yours and yours alone. We grant the user our powers in the suit and can lend them our abilities, but that’s all.”

          Marinette sighed. It would have been so much easier if that was the case, but with it confirmed, it only reminded her of the dreaded task of stitching up the hero sitting on her bathroom counter downstairs.

          “Don’t worry, Marinette. You can do this.” A small hand was placed upon Marinette’s cheek.

          “Thanks, Tikki.” Marinette laid a small peck on the top of the kwami’s head before she turned back to the sewing box.

          She finally settled on a shorter, thinner needle, and she took out her pliers and slowly bent the needle into a crude curved shape. It would have to do. Grabbing black thread, she ran back to the stairs and took them two at a time, flying back into the bathroom.

          With the door and lock in place, she set the sewing materials on the counter and stared at them.

          _I can’t do this._

          _I have to do this._

          _I can’t believe I’m doing this._

          _Just imagine that it’s just fabric. It’s just fabric. It’s just fabric._

          She sighed, and picked up the needle and thread. She was thankful that Chat didn’t say anything. He probably knew that if he did, Marinette would break from her self-induced trance and panic.

          She didn’t say anything as she handed him a small dry towel. He rolled it up as small as he could and bit down on it.

          She nodded silently, before she took the needle and plunged it into the skin of his chest at one end of the gash. Chat’s fisted hands strained against the edge of the countertop, a muffled mewl of pain escaped his lips, but Marinette blocked out the sound as her vision tunneled on her hands and the needle. She moved quickly, tugging the skin back together as she would fabric. It was almost the same as working with leather.

          It took her twenty seconds to finish and tie off the thread, but she had one more gash to deal with. It would be much quicker, thankfully for Chat.

          It was more difficult, because of the curve of his shoulder, but the job was done in half the time, and Chat sighed in relief.

          Marinette dropped the bloody needle on the counter and stared at her hands. His blood covered her fingertips, and she felt her vision start to tunnel not on her own accord.

         Before she could black out, a gloved hand covered hers, and another hand rested against her arm. She looked up at Chat in a daze, relying on the strength in his hands to hold her up. She noticed first the tear streaks against his cheeks. His mouth was moving, but she couldn’t hear any words.

         As she stared at him, her vision began to return back to normal, and her hearing returned with it.

         “-okay. It’s okay, Marinette. You did well, I’m okay. Shh.” A clawed thumb rubbed against her cheek, wiping something wet on her face. _Tears?_

         “Princess? Are you okay?” He placed the palm of his hand against her jaw. “Marinette?”

         She studied the tear streaks on his face. _He was the one in pain and he was more worried about her?_ She traced the paths of the tears from his mask down to his cheekbone… _a cut._

         “There’s a cut… I forgot that one was there.” She pulled away and grabbed the wet towel again. Chat was silent as she placed a hand against his jaw and used the other to gently dab at the dried blood there.

         As she finished cleaning the missed cut, she felt a rumble under her fingertips.

         “Are you… purring?”

         Chat’s eyes flew open, apparently they had closed. Why hadn’t she noticed that? But the blush that hit his cheeks did not go unnoticed.

         “N-No!” He looked away, studying the shower curtain rather than look at Marinette. His pout only made her laugh, though. She never thought he could purr! With all the time she’s spent with him as Ladybug she’s never heard that sound come from him before.

         “You’re more like a kitty than I first thought, kitty.” She put the towel down and picked up small butterfly bandage. Closing the wound, she put the bandage on as best as she could with his mask in the way. She knew from experience that the mask was stuck on, and couldn’t be removed, so she didn’t bother to ask him to move it.

         “Well, you’re all done.” Marinette started the faucet and stuck her hands under. She still had a little bit of blood on her hands that needed to be washed off.

         However Chat was uncharacteristically silent. He remained silent when she expected some kind of pun or joke or whatever… The air felt unnaturally strained.

         When he didn’t respond for another few moments, she turned her head to look at him, but two things happened at once.

         As her head turned, Chat was in the middle of leaning towards her, his face only a couple inches away and closing in quickly. She didn’t have enough time to turn her head away before lips pressed against her own. _Chocolate and marshmallow…_

          The kiss lasted only a second before Chat realized what had happened and pulled away quickly, his previous blush only more intense at the realization at what he had done.

          “You- You kissed me!” Marinette’s own cheeks weren’t safe from the red flush that creeped up her neck. She placed her hand over her mouth as she stared shocked at Chat.

          “Granted,” He held his hands up in defense, “I only tried to give you a peck on the cheek! You turned your head last minute! _You_ technically kissed _me_!”

         “But you just said you were gonna kiss me!”

         “Yes! But not like that kiss. A kiss on the cheek! That was all!”

         “Why?”

         “Because I was thanking you!”

         Marinette paused, blinked, and tilted her head in confusion. “Thanking me?”

         “Yeah for, you know,” Chat rubbed the back of his head abashedly. “Fixing me up and taking care of me. Isn’t it customary for a knight to kiss his princess when she’s helped him?”

         Marinette was stunned. Her mouth opened and closed but she didn’t know what to say. _It’s too silent. I have to say something._

         “You’re welcome.” _That didn’t help. Now the silence is just awkward._

         They were both quiet while Marinette threw away all the trash that had accumulated on the countertop. She would have to cover up the mess in the garbage can before her parents could get to it and ask why there were so many bandage wrappers in there. While she was cleaning, Chat had carefully put his suit back on. The holes in his suit bothered Marinette, but with what she and Tikki talked about earlier, she had to reason to worry.

         As soon as she deemed that the bathroom was as clean as it was before, she gestured to Chat to follow her back out. They slinked out and back up the stairs to Marinette’s room. Once inside, Chat rolled his arms and shoulders, testing the soreness of his limbs.

         “Don’t stretch them too much, and don’t do any physically straining activities either. You don’t want to open those wounds up again.”

         “But if I do, I know I can always count on my princess to fix me up.” His Cheshire grin was back again. Marinette just rolled her eyes. “Besides, we’re friends, right?”

         It was Marinette’s turn to smile. “Yes. We’re friends. But don’t push your luck, kitty, or I’ll have to put a limit on how many times you can come to me for medical help in the future.” Chat chuckled and went to climb up the ladder leading to her loft. She followed suit, climbing up the ladder and stepping onto her bed in order to reach the balcony door. Chat went up first, offering a hand to Marinette to pull her up.

         They both stood in the chill of the night, the light from the surrounding buildings cast a yellow glow on them both, but it was still too dim to properly see one another.

         “Thank you again, Princess, for helping this poor, injured stray. I’ll be sure to visit you again if I need to be fixed up.”

         “Stitching you was terrifying. Don’t ever make me do it again.” Marinette shuddered as the memory returned of her hands sewing his skin together.

         “I’ll be sure to be more careful in the future then.” He stepped forward and gently grabbed Marinette’s chin between his thumb and index finger. Before Marinette could pull back, her head was held still while Chat lay a quick kiss against her lips. The chocolate from the drink was faint, but still there. “While _you_ promise me to be more careful when turning your head.” He muttered, his lips hovering just over her own while his breath ghosted over her skin.

         “But I didn’t turn my head this time.” She breathed out, thankful that it was dark enough that he couldn’t see just how red her cheeks had become.

         “I know.” With a smile and a two-fingered wave, he jumped onto the balcony railing and took a flying leap.

         Marinette ran over, hoping to see him leave, but he was already gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! Hope you liked it~   
> Again, I'm writing an Aladdin!AU so that's gonna be taking up the most of my writing energy. That fic is also going to be pretty long, so be prepared for maybe 20,000, 30,000 words. Maybe it'll be even longer, who knows? But if you have any thoughts or ideas you want to have in it let me know! You can also shoot me a message on tumblr, my url is it-is-a-mystery.tumblr.com .


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